Set-Top Box User Proximity Recognition Hands-Free Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current set-top boxes require users to manually operate multiple remote controls to turn on and select media devices, making it cumbersome and time-consuming to initiate media content playback in home entertainment systems.
Innovation Solution
A set-top box that stores user identification codes from portable devices and uses interrogation signals to detect their presence, automatically configuring the system to the user's preferences, allowing voice commands or initial actions without needing remote control operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users manually operate multiple remote controls to turn on and select media devices, then the system can be controlled with simple technology, but the operation process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The set-top box automatically detects user presence via portable electronic devices and autonomously configures the entertainment system according to stored user profiles, eliminating the need for manual remote control operation. The system serves itself by automatically powering on devices, selecting content, and adjusting settings based on the detected user.
Solution Approach 2:
User preferences and device configurations are pre-stored in profiles within the set-top box memory. When a user is detected, the system retrieves and applies these pre-configured settings instantly, avoiding the time-consuming process of manual configuration during each use.
2Productivity
If the set-top box automatically detects user presence and configures the system, then operation time is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to additional detection and configuration mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The set-top box integrates multiple functions into a single device: it acts as a media player, a user presence detector via portable device communication, a configuration manager, and an automatic system controller. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate detection devices and simplifies the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Portable electronic devices serve as intermediaries between the user and the set-top box. The user's existing portable device communicates identification information to the set-top box, which then uses this information to retrieve pre-stored profiles and configure the system, simplifying the interaction model.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple user profiles are stored and automatically applied, then personalized service is improved, but the memory requirements and profile management complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses lightweight identification data from portable electronic devices (such as device IDs or coded signals) rather than storing extensive user information locally. The portable devices themselves serve as the storage medium for user identification, allowing the set-top box to maintain minimal memory requirements while supporting multiple users.
Data Source
AI summary
A set-top box provides for touch free operation of home entertainment system. The set-top box detects the mobile phone of a of a user and initiates a configuration of the home entertainment system according to the preferences of the user.